This invention relates to platform or flat bed type hand carts for supporting and transporting articles.
Flat bed hand trucks are widely used for supporting and transporting various types of loads. This invention relates to such hand trucks that are useful for transporting merchandise and products by an operator, for example in a warehouse, retail establishment, business, or residential environment. In particular, the invention has particular application in a retail store environment where it is desired to provide a customer with a light weight yet sturdy flat bed hand cart for transporting merchandise to be purchased, and which possesses unique features that enhance efficiency and economy of manufacture while being user-friendly in the sense of minimizing risk of injury to the customer and the environment in which the cart is to be used.
Flat bed hand carts presently available for use in a business or retail environment are commonly made of painted metal and therefore are somewhat unwieldy and heavy. The painted metal rapidly becomes chipped, scraped and dented so that the appearance of the carts deteriorates rapidly after they are first placed into use and maintenance of the carts is expensive and time consuming. Carts with metal beds for supporting loads have welded joints that can break and rust over time, further increasing maintenance problems for metal carts.
Carts constructed in accordance with the prior art moreover do not include certain features for protecting a customer and the environment in which the cart is utilized. While this may not be a significant problem in certain environments, in a retail establishment, such as a flower shop, furniture store or a lumber yard, where it is desired to provide a flat bed hand cart for customer use, the lack of protective features can result in considerable damage to retail fixtures, appliances and products on display, and can pose a risk to the ankles of store patrons. Metal carts constructed in accordance with the prior art can and do inflict injury and damage to retail customers using the carts and to other customers that may be inadvertently struck by a cart or otherwise come into contact with the exterior edges of a cart that is left in an aisle or in the path of travel of a customer.
Flat bed hand carts constructed in accordance with prior art designs are quite large and bulky and often are not nestable together to enable storage of numerous carts in a small area. While nestable flat bed hand carts including plastic beds are known in the prior art, the manufacture of such carts involves utilizing different types of structural arrangements, including different types of load support beds, when making nestable and non-nestable carts. Often the beds must be tapered to enable nesting.
Thus, prior art technology has failed to provide a flat bed hand cart having a bed member made of light weight molded plastic material that is safe for retail customer use, and is universally adapted for both nesting and non-nesting cart configurations.